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On August 21st, the moon will temporarily slip in front of the sun, darkening the sky in the middle of the day.

There’s nothing magical about eclipses—they happen with regularity every six months or so. But this eclipse is notable because it is a total eclipse of the sun—and it is only visible in the U.S.

“The sun is really interesting – eclipse or no eclipse,” said Washington Heights resident Bruce Kamiat. “I’ve seen a great many partial eclipses. It’s fascinating to see the moon move across the sun. It’s got a certain drama to it.”

The path of totality will be visible in fourteen states across the U.S. The eclipse starts in Oregon at 10:16 a.m. PDT and end in South Carolina at 2:48 p.m. Viewers in Illinois will see the eclipse for the longest duration—about 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

Kamiat, a longtime member of New York’s Amateur Astronomers Association, is heading to Wyoming to see the full eclipse.

Eclipses have fascinated people throughout history. Babylonians chiseled them in clay tablets. Ancient Chinese texts record “the sun has been eaten.” There’s even a stone monument in Ireland that astro-archeologists think might correspond to an eclipse that occurred on November 30th, 3340 BCE.

Uptown residents can expect to see about a 70 percent eclipse. That’s still enough for people to get excited.

Organizations all over the city are holding Eclipse Events. Inwood Hill Park’s Nature Center will hold a talk by Jason Kendall of the Amateur Astronomers Association on August 13th.

On Eclipse Day, there is a public event scheduled at the Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History.

Kamiat said that in addition to the natural beauty of the eclipse, events such as these are important because they prompt new thinking.

The event will only be visible in the United States.

“Most people never even think about the sun,” he said. The sun is a dynamic organism that is constantly undergoing a dynamic process.

“It’s not just sitting there passively in the sky,” he added. “We wouldn’t be here without it.”

As an astronomer who often shares glimpses of the stars and planets to casual observers, he added that eclipse are events that make us aware of how everything works in the cosmos. “It’s part of who we are and where we are in the universe. It’s an awareness that’s really important.”

No one ever should look directly at the sun – even during an eclipse. Protect your eyes and experience the astronomical event safely. The sun’s rays burn the eye’s retinas, causing permanent damage and even blindness. Use special solar filters or special eclipse glasses. Also, never look at the sun through a telescope, camera, binoculars or other device without protecting your eyes.